Creamy Deviled Eggs

By Sally on April 18, 2011

Musing over my non-traditional Easter menu of roast salmon, I was missing an appetizer. I turned to a traditional favorite, my deviled eggs recipe.

Deviled eggs are equally welcome at a spring dinner or a summer barbecue. Most everyone loves them. And the fun part is you can give them your own style and flavor by how you garnish them.

Creamy, Tangy, Delicious

I’ve always made my deviled eggs with plenty of kick using Dijon mustard, horseradish, bright vinegar, and of course good mayonnaise. After that, you can use lots of extra goodies for garnish: chopped fresh dill or cilantro, regular or smoked paprika, tiny cooked bay shrimp, avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, you name it. Make them your way.

How to Hard Boil Eggs

To make perfect hard boiled eggs, bring a wide pot of water to a boil. Use just enough water to just cover the eggs when you submerge them. Add a little white vinegar and salt.

When the water boils, turn the heat down a bit and gently place in the eggs with a spider or spoon. Cook eggs at a strong simmer for 15 minutes. Remove them to an ice bath and chill. When cool, tap on a hard surface to crack the shell all around. The shells will peel right off. No more eggs than look like a mess.

Make the Filling

Slice peeled, hard-boiled eggs in half and pop out the cooked yolks. Place the yolks and all ingredients in a food processor and puree until creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a little more vinegar for zing or horseradish for heat. Pipe or spoon the filling into the halved egg whites and garnish to your hearts content.

If you don’t have a food processor, push the cooked egg yolks through a fine sieve with the back of a large spoon or flexible spatula. Then by hand, mix the yolks and other ingredients into a creamy, smooth consistency. That’s how I learned to make deviled eggs as a kid. Refrigerate filling until needed or serve right away.

How to Fill Eggs

When ready to serve, place the creamy filling into a piping bag (I keep the 18″ ones on hand) and pipe into egg halves. If you don’t want to use a piping bag, use a teaspoon to spoon into the egg halves. Garnish and serve.

Catering Trick

If you are serving these at a location other than your home, place the filling into a piping bag fitted with a round or star tip. Secure the top with a rubber band. Pack your egg halves in a sturdy container for transporting. When you arrive at your location, place the egg halves on a plate, snip the tip off your piping bag and fill the eggs. Garnish and enjoy.

Creamy Deviled Eggs

Prep Time

Cook Time

Description

For the deviled egg filling, I prefer Vegenaise over traditional mayo. It has a wonderful, clean, bright flavor that works well in this recipe and in any others using mayonnaise. You can always use your favorite brand. Choose eggs that are free of cracks.

Serving 8-12

Ingredients

12 large organic eggs, free of any cracks (I do a few extra for damage, sampling and plenty of filling)

½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise (I use Veganaise)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon vinegar – apple cider, white balsamic, or white wine

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Optional garnishes – use your imagination

Paprika, regular or smoked

Finely chopped chives

Fresh chopped dill

Fresh chopped cilantro

Lemon zest

Cooked bay shrimp

Crumbled bacon

Sun-dried tomato strips

Jalapeno slices

Avocado

Directions

Using a large enough pot that your eggs will sit flat in one layer, fill pot with enough cold water to cover eggs once they are placed in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat down to a strong simmer and carefully lower eggs into the water. Using a tool called a mesh skimmer or a slotted spoon makes it easy, but use what you have.

When eggs are in pan, add vinegar and salt. Set cooking time for 15 minutes. While eggs are cooking, prepare an ice bath

Fill a large bowl with ice and water. When eggs are done cooking, plunge cooked eggs into the ice bath. Chill until cold. Peel right away or refrigerate them for a day or two until ready to use.

To peel, tap egg on side of sink or counter top, roll in your hands to loosen the shell and peel. The shell should come right off. Peeling them under cold running water is another good trick.

Using a thin, sharp-bladed knife, cut eggs in half lengthwise. Pop out yolks and place in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel knife. Add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth and creamy. Taste and season for your tastes with extra salt, pepper, Dijon, etc.

Place filling into a piping bag fitted with a large star or plain tip and pipe into egg halves for nice presentation, or just spoon into the egg halves with a teaspoon. Garnish and serve.

Note – if you don’t have a food processor, press the cooked egg yolks through a fine sieve into a bowl, then continue with the recipe. Mix the filling by hand with a large spoon.

Denise | April 23, 2011 at 4:00 pm

Yum! I just used your special sauce (sample that you gave me when Phil and I had that FABULOUS dinner at your home) for grilled chicken the other night. Amazing!
Are you cooking up anything special for the royal wedding?
PM

Erin | December 2, 2013 at 5:08 pm

Thanks for the recipe! The method of hard-boiling the eggs by letting them cook in hot water off the burner worked really well. I LOVE the addition of the white wine vinegar. It made all the difference to the flavour.

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